Obituaries

Richard Grumbacher, 90

Richard Grumbacher, 90, died Friday, March 4, 2005, at Coffman Nursing Home, Hagerstown, Md., after a long illness.

Richard was born in York, Pa., in 1914. He was the son of the late Max and Daisy Altschul Grumbacher.

Richard was a former delegate for Washington County to the Maryland House of Delegates, member and leader of many civic and charitable organizations and president of the former Eyerly's Department Store (now the Bon-Ton) in Hagerstown.

He graduated with honors from Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy and went to work immediately in the family business in York: the Bon-Ton Department Store. In the summer of 1941, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps, quickly rose to the rank of captain and served in England, North Africa and Italy. He came to Hagerstown in 1948 and served for 20 years as president of Eyerly's Department Store, when his family bought the business. He was elected to the House of Delegates from 1961 to 1974, serving on both the Judiciary and Appropriations committees and chairing the Subcommittee on Human and Natural Resources. While there, he sponsored legislation on civil rights, civil liberties and consumer protection. In 1967, he was elected as a delegate to the Maryland Constitutional Convention.

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Richard was a leader in a number of civic and charitable organizations. He was a trustee of the Washington County Free Library for 33 years, serving terms as treasurer and president. He was founding board member of local Goodwill Industries, Big Brothers and the Memorial Recreation Association and served as first treasurer of each agency. He was president of Mason-Dixon Council, Boy Scouts of America, and was the recipient of the organization's Silver Beaver Award. He served on the Bethel Gardens Board. He served on the state boards of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. He was a member of the Maryland Advisory Council Mental Health and was instrumental in organizing the Washington County Mental Health Authority. He served as its first president from 1990 to 1994.

Richard chaired the Hagerstown Planning Commission, the Hagerstown Charter Revision Committee and the United Way drive. In 1960, he was a delegate to the White House Conference on Children and Youth. He was a member of the Maryland Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and on the original board for the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (1982-1988). He was one of the founders of the Washington County Industrial Foundation and served as its second president (1954-1956). Among the awards he received were the Distinguished Service Award from the Maryland Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1996 for outstanding service to those persons with mental illness. In 1998, he received the Finding Paths Award from Brook Lane for his contribution to the mental health of the community and in 1994, he received the Democrat of the Year award from Washington County.

Richard was a member of the B'nai Abraham Congregation, the American Civil Liberties Union and a life member of the NAACP. He was a member of Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 and was a former member of Mensa.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Cohen Grumbacher, whom he married in 1946; three sons, Steve and wife, Jackie, of Annville, Pa., Robert of Wayne, Pa., and John R. and wife, Meri, of Newton, Mass.; one daughter, Nancy Psillas and fianc, Keith Williams, both of Hagerstown; one brother, M.S. "Tom" Grumbacher of Haverford, Pa.; grandchildren, Kate Grumbacher of Alexandria, Va., Stephanie Grumbacher of Newton, and Nick, Ellie and Max Psillas, all of Hagerstown; and stepgrandson, Greg Wertime of Pasadena, Calif.

He was preceded in death by three sisters, Frances Salinger, Ann Lowengard and twin sister Kathrine Myers.